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:O:R.GANIZATrONAL
..
C,ULTUREPROJECT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION
Executive Summal'J(
A. How did the project begin?
B. What is organizational culture and why are we interested in it?
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C. Whywas thecultureobjectiveincluded in theAgency
StrategicPlan?
Baselining:
Ba>elining:J:mRloyeeInterviews
A. Methodology
1. EmployeeSurvey
2. SeniorStaffSurvey
B. Findings-QuantitativeData(Surveys)
C. FindingS-QualitativeData(EmployeeComments)
Benchmarking
A. DeSired Results
B. IntercomponentWorkgroup
C. AnalySiSandReview
Afterward:IsIt POSSible toCatggorizeSSA'sCurrentCulture?
Attachments:
TabA-Research Paper on Organizational Culture
Tab Reader Fil,,)
T9.b.J>-Organi
z
ationalSurve\,Results
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Tab E-"WhereTheY_flgree" Charts
TabF-Benchmarkit\9 SurveX
TabG-Bibliograllhx
To view Organizational Culture ReP.Q!:t in Word format .doc).
(Printer friendly version)
Note:Theculturesurvey(tabC) is in .pdfformatand is not included in the
Worddocument listedabove. You will needtheAdobe AcrobatReader
programtoview it.You candownload and install AdobeAcrobat Readerfor
freefromthefollowing web site httll://www.adobe.cotl).
ORGANIZATIONALCULTVREPROJECT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
May 2000
BACKGROUND Back to Tableof
Contents
TheOrganizationalCultureProjectoriginatedwiththeAgency
StrategicPlanwhich includestheobjective ta promote on Agency
culture thot successfully incorporates our values. Thosevaluesarein
thecurrentAgencyStrategicPlan. Agood definitionoforganizational
cultureis: "Thesharedpracticesandvalues of thegroup" or,more
simply put, "it's the way we do thif1!lS arolllKl here. "Shortlyafter
publicationoftheASP,theOfficeofWorkforceAnalysis (OWA) in
theOfficeofHumanResources(OHR) wasaSSigned thelead for
developinga plan toachievethecultureobjective,toincludebaselining
thecurrentcultureand conductingagap analysis betweenthecurrent
and thedesiredculture. Thereareanumber ofreasonswhy itis
il"portantto know theculture:forexample,ignoring theculturecan
derail new ideassincenew ideasmay requirewaysofworking or
behavingthatarenot like "theway wedothingsaround here."
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the Rroject, from el1mlo)'ee
interviews, benchmarkill9, nnda sury!'.)', This sUmmar)' highlights the
mQ.stignificant the survey"
METHODOLOGY
To find out what values and workplace issues are important, teams of
SSA employees conducted individual and group interviews with more
than 1000 employees and managers. The interviews took place in six
regions and all headquarters components. We used the information
from these interviews to design a survey which covers topics related
to workplace practices, values and work climate. We asked employees
to react to 67 statements on these survey topics in two ways-to what
extent the practice now exists in their workplace and how important
the practice is to them. The difference between the two answers will
help identify how much of a gap there is between what the culture is
and what employees would like it to be. The survey also included
questions on demographics, such as the respondent's component, age,
gender, grade level, bargaining unit membership, and so on. A copy of
the survey is attached at tab C of the full report. (Note: The survey is
in .pdf format. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader program to
view it. You can download and install the Adobe Acrobat Reader for
free from the web site of /",ww.adobe.com).
We sent the survey to 13,600 SSA employees during the Summer of
1999; altogether, we received 6,605 completed surveys. We also
received written comments from 574 employees. We sent the same
survey to all 128 members of the Senior Staff to see how their vision
and opinions compared to the rest of SSA. Are there serious
disconnects and are there areas of agreement? Sixty-five members of
the Senior Staff responded (about 51%). None of them submitted
comments relative to SSA's culture.
In addition, we identified mid-level managers from the survey
demographics and compared their results to the items where
employees and Senior Stoff agreed or disagreed the most.
FINDINGS-QUANTITATIVE DATA (SURVEY)
Charts displaying the data in the following categories appear in the
attached report on pages 10 through 22.
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1. Current situation: Th.'1..highest rated "p-ractices" in the workplace
now are the.. observance of zero tolerance for program fraud and
gl>us"angk"'1will9 what is at work, Eighty-one and
83%, respectively, agreed or stroll9ly agreed that currently these are
normal practices in their office, In addition, nearly 81,),. of those
responding believe we provide accurate information about SSA
programs; about 81% of respondents know that their day-to-day work
is important to SSA's mission; 75,),. reported that satisfaction is
treated as a top priority; and 73,),. reported pride in the contribution
their work unit is making,
The tw%west rated current p-ractices were the appraisal 'lYstem and
understgndingih" administrative budget, Fifty percent of our
respondents think we do not now have an appraisal system that
supports clear and challengill9 performance standards. Only 28% of
respondents said it is the practice in their office now to understand
the administrative budget,
2, Importance: Providill9 accurate information about the
and havill9 zero tolerance for pr09!:<lm fraud and abuse were the..t"'!!1
practices that were most imRfJ.rtantto employ-us. In both cases,
. about ninety-six percent of our respondents agreed or stroll9ly agreed
that these two practices are imRfJ.rtont to them. Both of these
practices received high marks in the current situation as well, meaning
that the majority thinks we are doill9 a good job in these areas now.
have a bestfri"nd",twgrk"-was the situati'm.rated
LmRfJ.rtantby about 50% of our resp-andents, Interestingly, forty-six
percent said they have a best friend currently-so, more than half of
our employees do not have a best friend at work and about half do not
think it is important to have one,
.3.,....J,grgest/smaliest gaps: The appraisal 'lYstem resulted in the
ggp_(L72) between the average answers to the current
situation and importance. Fifty percent think the system is inadequate
now, but 85,),. think it is important to have a good appraisal system,
The smallest 9ap_(Q.21)..Qppegred in "r am able to explajn
mission," Seventy-three percent afe able to explain the mission now
and 81,),. think this is importont,
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4, Values: The values rated highest in the workRlace currently-are
role as guardians of the Rublic trust," "to
act with integri!)'," and "to act with this thol!9ht in min<j: to millions of
pjloRle we ARE..the government." Sixty-three percent of employees
agreed or strongly agreed with the first statement in the current
situation calumn; 62% believe we act with integrity in the workplace
now, and, 58% agreed we are currently the government to millions,
The average answers for these three values were 3,7, 3,5 and 3,6
r'iSpectivelyl
The va.I.y,l\S rated lowest in imp,ortance are "to volue diversi!)'" and "to
this thought in mind: to millions otReoRle we ARE..!!;"
government," Seventy-eight percent agreed valUing diversity is
important while 51,),. said we value diversity now, Seventy-nine percent
think being the government to millions is important. This was the
second lowest rated value in Importance (4,2). Since it was rated 3,6
in the workplace currently, there is not a large gop (0.6) between
where we are and where employees would like to be,
5. Senior Staff survey results: There are some notable dif.ferences
i!> the of the Senior Staf.f survey as emRloyees,
For example, Senior Staff responses were more positive than the rest
of SSA on almost every item on the survey, both for the current
situation and the Importance, The biggest difference for the current
situation waS in "For employee opinions to count," Eighty-seven percent
of the Senior Staff agree or strongly agree that employee opinions
now count; only 37')', of employees would ogre". The biggest
difference in importancl!!:was in "I share common values with my
coworkers-ninety-one percent of the Senior Staff think it is
important to shore common values with coworkers: 72% of employees
agree.
There were areas otggrl!."I1l.mt between and the Senior
9taf.t One of these is that we provide accurate information about
SSA pragrams. Another is the inadequacy of the current appraisal
system, See tab E of the report for this and other areaS of
agreement between employees and the Senior Staff.
-'-he attached report covers the Senior Staff survey results in
some detail because organizational culture experts say when the
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culture feels different in different parts of the organization,
people at the top often misread the thoughts and feelings of
those lower in the hierarchy.
FINbING5-QUALITATIVE bATA-EMPLOYEE COMMENTS
Historically, 5 to 10 percent of survey respondents take the time
to make written comments.;!. Thus, the percentage of written
comments we received is typical- about 91. What is not typical
is the length of the written comments-generally they are "short
and terse" or "just a few Many, if not most, of the
comments we received were from one to three handwritten or
typed pages long-and employees often identified themselves.
We read the comments and did a rough stroke tolly by category
to see what issues appeared most often. There were some
positive comments, but most were negative.
Based on our tally, the top 10 most frequently cited issues or
problems, from number ten to number one, were'
10. The appraisal system:
9. Complex policy and procedures;
B. IncreaSing workloads:
7. Work environment (such as poor air quality and unstable
temperatures):
6. The awards program:
5. Not enough staff:
4. Poor quality and service;
3. Lack of career and promotion opportunities;
2. Morale-many commented that it's the worst they've seen
it in years: and,
1. The number one most frequently cited problem by thase
who commented was Mallllgement-far and away managers
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got the most criticism.
Employee responses on the survey may shed some light on this
last finding. For example, ClS already noted, only 3no of
respondents think it is normal practice in their office currently
for employee opinions to count; only 5170 of our employees are
comfortable now telling their supervisor/manoger what's on their
minds: nearly a quarter (24%) of the respondents do not think
that their supervisor supports them in getting the job done: and
while 63% say their manager treats employees with respect, 227.
said their manoger does not. The others neither agree nor
disagree.
Some may dismiss written comments because they ClSsume only
the most disgruntled employees take the time to write. However,
we could not find any research to support this ClSsumption. In
fact, the issues identified in the survey comments are nearly
identical to those we heard during our 1998 interviews and
previous OWA studies. They are also borne out by the survey
results.
CONCLUSION
A review of interview remarks, employee comments, and survey
results shows same very healthy beliefs, behaviors, practices,
values, and attitudes on the part of SSA employees. These areas
need continued support and encouragement.
On the other hand, many problems have emerged as well. We
believe we should focus on those issues that we can do something
about quickly and that will have the most poyoff for employees
and the Agency. For example, it moy be a higher priority to focus
on the 58% who think we could work more efficiently and
productively and the 41% who feel that work responsibilities
could be shared more fairly than the 23% who do not think the
work environment is attractive or profeSSional enough. Several
of the differences between Senior Staff results and the rest of
SSA need Similar review, as well.
RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
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As stated in the current plan for achieving the culture objective,
the next step is for the Agency to define its vision of the
desired culture. We suggest addressing the questions raised in
this reRort by referring them . .tUb.e_grouP.J:tf_Ei"ecutives already
aSSigned to iSsues related to goal fout:.,(To be an emRloyer that
vetlues and invests in each emRloyee).
Once this group considers the issues, we recommend convening an
Agency-level intercomponent workgroup, with Union and
Management Association membership. Based on the direction
p,'ovided by this group, the Workgroup would further address
issues identified during the various stages of this project. The
most important workgroup deliverable would be a change strategy
tllot will help SSA employees and managers achieve the culture
they want.
OW A will continue to analyze the survey results to make
pertinent demographic comparisons (e.g" men and women;
bargaining and non-bargaining; different age groups; varying
lengths of service, and So on). We also plan to share individual
c',mponent's results with them to show them how they compare
to the rest of SSA.
Finally, in about 3 years, we will conduct the survey again and
compare the results to the 1999 baseline to See if there are any
measurable differences as a result of the various change
initiatives.
AFTERWORD
The attached report contains a section titled "Afterword: Is It
Possible to Categorize SSA's Current Culture?" which summarizes
what we did to help us better understand the findings from this
study. We. searched the literature for documented cultures that,
at least in general, typify SSA.
We discovered what we were looking for in two texts
1
-
Diagl1osi.n9_0rganizational Culture by Harrison and Stokes and
CorRorate Cultures by Deal and Kennedy. The authors describe
organizations that have the Same characteristics as SSA-"Role
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Cultures" for Harrison and Stokes and "Process Cultures" for
Deal and Kennedy. They also identify the best and worst features
of these cultures. We found the material from the various
phases of the organizational culture study to be startling in its
similarity to the concepts these authors describe.
We invite you to read the "Afterword" in its entirety. We believe
it provides insight into who we are and why. It is clear to us that
SSA's organizational culture embodies many features of the
Role-oriented (or Process) culture-the extent to which a
particular feature exists appears to depend on the component
and its managers.
Footnotes:
J In some cases, ranking of average answers and percentages do not match because of
weighting. (Back to Executive SummarY)
2 Earl Naumann and Kathleen Gtel, Customer Satisfactjon Measurement and
Management (Cincinnati: Thomson Executive Press, 199.5). 145. (Back to Executive
Summ;YYl
3 Ibid. (Back to ..
4 Footnotes and bibliographic information for these lexts are in the attached report.
(Back to Executive Sumrn!.!fY.)
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE PROJECT
fINAL REPORT
May 2000
BACKGROUND Back to Table of Contents
A. How did the Organizational b!lgin?
In September 1997, the Commissioner published the Agency Strategic Plan
for 1997-2002 to all SSA componentS. The Agency Strategic Plan included
five goals-each with a number of associated objectives, Goal 4 af the Plan,
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often referred to as the "employee gool," is: To be an employer that values
and invests in each employee. The Organizational Culture Project stems
from the objective under goal 4 that reads "to promote an agency culture
that successfully incorporates our values. "
Shortly ofter publication of the ASP, the Office of Workforce Analysis
(OWA) in the Office of Human Resources (OHR) was assigned the lead for
developing a plan to achieve the culture objective. Once developed, the plan
included the folloWing initiatives:

1. Perform a boseline study of the current culture (what it is now);
2. Conduct a gap analysis between the current culture and the desired
culture (what we want it be);
3. Conduct a benchmarking study to see how the best organizations
measure their Success in this area; and.
4. Design and implement a change strategyto get from where we are
now to the desired agency culture.
B. What is organi.z(]tional culture and why are we interested in it?
A good definition of organizational culture is: "The shared practices and
values of the group" or, more simply put, "it's the way we do things around
here, "It is:
a The subconscious that tells us how to act and how to get
things done in the workplace;
a How we treat each other and our customers; and,
o The way we communicate, the way we react to criticism and
celebrate success, and many more behaviors and practices we See

and do every day.
In essence, culture is to an organization what personality is to an individual.
All organizations, SSA included, have a "personality" or cultural identity
that is reflected in their shared beliefs and values.
There are at least three reaSons why it is important to know the culture:
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1. There is a strong correlation between organizational culture and
performance -people are what make the organization "go." If the
culture is positive, productivity and performance usually are, as well;
2. Ignoring the culture can derail new ideas since new ideas may
require ways of working behaving that are not like "the way we do
things around here"; and,
3. Finally, there is the issue of SSA's retirement wave-knowing the
culture will help uS recruit and select people who will be good "fits,"
who will do well at SSA, and who will stay for awhile.
Attached at tab A is a short research paper which anSwerS a number of
other questions about organizational culture, including some of the common
elements that define it, such as work environment, values, rites, and rituals.
C. Why was the culture objective originally included in the ASP?
During the development of the ASP, Q number of Senior Staff involved in
the planning process understood the importance of organizational culture
and the influence it has on behavior in the workplace. They also believed
that a more complete understanding of the current culture would assist in
implementing change in a more successful and efficient manner.
BASELINING: SECONDARY RESEARCH Back to Table of
Contents
A. Methodology'
In their text, Corporate Cultures!, Deal and Kennedy recommend starting a
culture analysis by reading what an organization says about its culture.
Thus, we started the baselining effort by conducting secondary research
into written material already available to us-including former study
reports, focus group reports, GAO study reports, results of various
employee surveys, process review documentation, and previous Business and
Strategic Plans. We also visited SSA's Internet site. These documents (and
the Web site) gave us a picture of SSA's public "persona" as well as insight
into what employees think and say about it.
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In reviewing these documents, we attempted to answer six questions:
1. What are our strengths?
2. What opportunities for improvement are identified?
3. What themes, if any, are evident?
4. What behavior would make a difference to the desired outcomes?
5. What financial (bottom line) implications are linked to behavioral
outcomes?
6. What barriers to change are evident?
B.
A full report of our findings from this research is attached at
However, the findi!)9 most pertinent to this projeCtJNas the emergence of
three themes that were the vast mgjori!)l.Jl:f these

1. Building confidence in Social Security;
2. Providing world-class service; and,
3. Creating 0 supportive work environment.
Worded in various ways in the documents we reviewed, these three themes
embod)' what most of the documents saidwe are (or would like to be) about
at SSA.
BASEUNIN6: EMPLOYEE INTERVIEWS Back to Table Of
Contents
A. Methodology
To further educate ourselves, we hired Dr. Judd Allen from the Human
Resources Institute to conduct a one-day seminar on organizational culture
During the course of the seminar we reviewed the language in the
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Agency Strategic Plan on the culture objective and took stock of where we
were. The nine values already in the plan were developed without employee
input; thus, one important piece of information that we did not have was
what employees would think about them. We also decided we needed
employee input on what the culture is and what employees would like it to
be.
To that end, we organized interviewing teams that included representatives
from almost every major SSA The teams traveled to six
regions'! and all HQ components during the summer of 1998 and interviewed
close to 1000 managers and employees in 200 individual and group
interviews. We discussed a variety of topics with the participants, including
what they thought about the three themes that emerged from our
document search and what issues are important to them. We also observed
the physical space, the atmosphere of the workplace, and even how
employees reacted to the interview
B.
We found that there is an unmistakable organizational culture at SSA-
some aspects are positive and some are negative. We also learned that
there are differences in the cultures of different components, as well as
differ,ences from field office to field office (FO) in the same region.
Nonetheless, some "universal truths" surfaced; for example:
1. At SSA, we have a sense of mission and are supportive of the
Social Security programs.
2. It is not part of the culture to promote Social Security or to
educate others about it-especially on our own time.
3. We are dedicated to providing good public service but many
employees do not like the term "customers."
4. We feel that there is a competitive "us vs. them" attitude
between and among SSA components and we feel there is a lack
of cooperation as well. Further, employees in the field feel
strongly that SSA Headquarters is out of touch with them.
5. We have a workforce with very strong opinions-employees do
not like the awards process, or pass/fail appraisals; and even
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though numeric standards were eliminated almost 10 years ago, it
is still a hot topic.
6. SSA is very hierarchical-we often feel like cogs in a wheel
and perceive limited authority; yet, we are leery about taking
personal risks, usually looking to policy and procedures to guide
us.
7. Employees are often cynical about and critical of new

management initiatives (such as TQM, reengineering, teaming,
and learning organization). In fact, some interviewees greeted
the organizational culture project with thot same cynicism.
8. Employees supported the three themes, but were skeptical
about the Agency's commitment to them, especially world-class
service and supportive work environment.
9. Given urgent and legitimate circumstances (such as
implementing legislation or court orders, or responding to natural
disasters), SSA employees will mobilize and deliver to meet the
need.
10, Many employees long for the "good old days" when they
thought SSA waS a good place to work.
11. Finally, managers and employees alike, especially those in FOs,
believe more staff is the solution to most of their problems.
Sidebar: During the last 10 years, OW A study teams have visited many
field components-FOs most often. In comparing the culture interview
findings to results from three previous FO studies, we found that the
basic tenets of SSA's culture (as described above) have not changed
much over the years. And, although the purpose of the interviews for
this project was different from the purpose of earlier studies, FO
employees cited many of the same issues and problems in 1998 that
they had told us about in the past. Thus, despite automation and other
employee initiatives and workplace improvements that have been
implemented over the years, it appears that, from the FO employee's
perspective, not a lot has changed for the better.
BASELININGIGAP ANALYSIS: SURVEYS Back to Table Of
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A. Methodology
Employee Survey-We used feedback from the interviews to design a
survey which is divided into three sections-workplace behaviors and
practices, values
6
and work climate-the elements that define an
organization's culture. The survey asked employees to react to 67
statements (on topics related to these elements) in 2 ways. On a scale of 1-
5 (from strongly disogree to strongly agree):
1. What is their level of agreement that the behavior or practice
described currently exists in their office: and
2. What is their level of agreement as to how important the behavior
or practice is to them.
The difference in the answers will help identify how much of a gap there is
between what the culture is and what employees would like it to be.
The survey also included questions on demographics. such as the
respondent's component, age, gender, grade level, bargaining unit
membership, and so on. This information permits breakouts and comparisons
of survey results by various demographiC categories. For example, we will
give SSA's larger components their own results for local review and analysis.
A blank survey is attached at tab C (Note: The survey is in .pdf format and
you will need Acrobat Reader program to view this survey, which you con
download and install for free from the web site of httR:i/www.adobe.com).
Using terminal digits of the SSN, we picked a 20% random sample from the
. Human Resources Management Information System and sent the survey to
13,600 SSA employees during the last week of June and the first week of
July 1999. Ultimately, we received 6,605 completed surveys. We also
received written comments from 574 employees (about 9% of those who
campleted the survey).
Senior Staff SiJrvey-We also sent the survey to all 128 members of the
Senior Staff to see how their vision and opinions compared to the rest of
SSA. Are there serious disconnects and are there areas of agreement?
065 members of the Senior Staff responded (about 51%).
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a None of them submitted comments relative to SSA's culture.
In addition, we identified mid-level managers from the survey demographics
and compared their results to the items where employees and Senior Staff
agreed or disagreed the most (that is, smallest and largest gaps) .

A chart attached at tab provides detailed survey results at the national
level. The complete results are available from OWA in hard copy or
electronically. What follows are the most significant findings from the
survey.
1. The 5 highest rated in the now are all job-
relatedW!th the observance of zero..tolerance for Rrogram3rau.4..and
oQ.use-statement 3 (S-3)=rat",d the high'1St
M....
let 1'<0 :.0. :50 "1) .. ;(j
I
I
" bwitilr dowi SSA pn.pm:u. I;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;i!!l;!)
Ii? Unok...,hcwhwo:ckd:tllfuMtttf
10hWli d d.KWliDWVlUVIItt.
{.6, My te 41r' wmwq tud; t SSA'1 J1l1'io:a..
I .
The overage answer to S-3 (on the 1to 5 scale) was 4.18. Eighty-one
percent of those responding agreed or strongly agreed that it is normal in
their office to have zero tolerance for program fraud and abuse.
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Theotherfour current practicesthatemployeesratedhighestfollow:
a83%agreedorstronglyagreedthattheyknow what is
expectedofthemat (S-58)Z;
o81%oftherespondentsbelievewecurrentlyprovideaccurate
informationabouttheprograms(5-4);
o82,},. said theyunderstand how theirwork relatestothework
ofotherunits(5-57);and,
a81'}'. believetheirwork is importantto5SA'smission (5-56).
2. Thetwo lowe.s:trated current PracticesweretheapRroisalsyte'll.(S-34)
'mdunderstandi!]9theadministrati'!el:>udget(S-10),
Chlltt2: Wlult Is....10LowMtRAt....
StU ..
14. 'lhtll....ry--...cmt:lrr. ..
tiwlk:tt,
ill ....... ...
...
"'
-
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_.11:IIn!-m..tt.l ... 1fI1fIdrjlb .

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11.Itt> at.mLftnmt: ..
U,
Jtl. tit cho..mtppC!rlJmify tv k:a7t

... _....-

III. _10..." ........_.

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Theappraisal systemwaS thelowest ratedwithanaverageanswer of2.56.
Fiftypercentofour respondentsthinkwe do notnow haveanappraisal
systemthatsupportsclearandchallengingperformancestandards.
oAlthough 50%ofourrespondentsdisagreeorstronglydisagree
thatwe now haveanappraisalsystemthatsupportsclearand
challengingperformancestandards.85%believeagoodappraisal
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 190f40
system is important. This resulted in the largestgap (1.72)
between the average answerS to the current situation (2.56) and
importance (4.28).
a Senior Staff. employees. and mid-level managers shared the
same low opinion aS to the adequacy of the current appraisal
system.
Understanding how SSA spends its administrative budget waS the
second lowest rated current workplace practice with an average
anSwer of 2.85.
a Only 28"1. of respondents said it is the practice in their
office nowto understand the administrative budget.
a On the ather hand. the average response as to the
importance of this practice waS also relatively low at 3.6.
with 55"1. saying it is important to understand the
administrative budget.
This appears to be an instance of "we don't have this situation now. but
it's not all that important to us. either." This lack of understanding and
interest in the administrative budget could contribute to employee
misconceptions about Agency decisions.
3. I'rovidi!l9 aC(;!Jt<:lte information about the Rrograms (S-4t<:lll<l..l:taving zera
tolerance for I1rggraflLfr<1yg.. and abuse (S-3L""ere tj,e two practices that
were most im(2ortantto e"mloy""s--with average anSwers <:If 4.68
..
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 20 of40
Cltnrt 3: WhAt Is Jm]101't.....t..... 10 Rated
.....
,.-
".uru:rae-nmn.m..-..a: SSA
..-
,........,
un'fllll.ert::lufarp:n..........3nd.bwe.
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In both cases, about ninety-six percent of our respondents agreed or
strongly agreed that these two practices are important to them. As noted
in the first finding above, the majority thinks we are doing a good job in
these areOS
Other practices employees see os important to them follow:
098% soy it is important to work in the most efficient and productive way
poSSible (5-1) while 56% say we are now:
o 98,),. of our employees said acting with integrity is important to them in
contrast to 62% who think we act with integrity currently (S-39): and.
o 97% said treating every individual with equal regard and respect is
important to them-51')'. soy this is the normal practice in their office now
(538).
have a best friend at work," with an average anSwer of..1,4:.8 was
the sit,lIoti'<1n rated least im/!S!rtantby about 50'7. of our .. ..
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page21 of40
Chart4, WilDtIsImporlan!....10 Rtlted
"...
10. Ur..hm:t:I'IIW{lwwSSAIRm4Jm:
ii.
-.

nutflllft't,fr:it:MJ,ttmiy,nBctltlK't.....
:!iI. rtSl((u..
myrito.l.
54.
n
u(aqUmmif).
9',
a.
7.

l? JW.in& llIIim.
..1n,tJi,tpMIIi.
I
:t1AJ:.t".efAmt!c..,t_ OffiOtlf: I
..:t"'hrtr"'_...........I'M; looP....Ar-II'trJR.ftM 1-0..-.,,"-
Interestingly,46')',saidtheyhavea bestfriend currently-so, morethan
half of ouremployees do not havea bestfriend atworkand abouthalf do
.not thinkitis important tohaveone.
Otherpracticesemployeesrated low in importonce
lO
includeunderstanding
theadministrativebudgetprocess,discussedabove,andthefollowing:
o59,),.think itisimportanttoshare55A'sstrengthsand success
storieswithcustomers,friends,family,neighbors,and coworkers
(56):
073,),.saiditis importanttofeel comfortabletellingcoworkers
whatis ontheirminds (551):and,
o72')',saiditisimportanttosharecommonvalues with
coworkers(5-54)11.
5. Mostof1h.e ..l:>.ehaviorsand Rracticesthathavethelargest9gRs aRReored
ll.n.J1ur.!owest rated current situation list.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 22 of 40
14.

)5.
n.
vIt. _-m.w dw4lmldtW. toAtlirj....
:It. 'lketbf"ftt!t1iktMlaitwD-e;pit.....,tcn
........
n.
]9, fir. -tirbI;' lI!Ilttti:1.4:
",..,.,..
65, ..'W ... :IrI".

, ,
In fact, eight of the ten (34, 35, 18,32,21,31,37, and 65) made the ten
lowest rated currently list (Chart 2, page 11). However, only three (35, 38,
and 29) made the top ten in Importance list (Chart 3, page 13). Still. these
ten high-gap items (eight behaviors and practices, one value, and one work
climatE' issue) might be a good place to start if we are looking for ways to
improve the culture.
6. There are a nU'l\ber of areaS o(.!lgreel1)ent on the .s.MeVey_where
between the average answers to the curr:.lI!l1,t situation and the iml!9rtance
Q.f a behavior or I'roctice <:Ire
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 23 of40
Chart 6: 10 KM4.LLEST GAPS
AtI.llI. t'b.,Uried.,.k
4?l)..."pti&..

it h'!Hdl ctfl6trUIiiItJ_vezkvith.

SSA'fllllitdal.
U.I.... ...
9. x.
51,lliMvvAdUCQ.m4ofJMICl:Y<Idc-
6t, COMlkcrJun4wil'U."plll:lllll:l'1n
'IL lmpddh(..
""'"'"
Six of the statements with the smallest gaps were also among the ten
statements rated highest in the current situation (Chart I, page 10). All six.
QJ these ite'lls wer.e in the work climate section of the survey: 5-47, 5-55,

Survey questions 47 through 67 asked employees to aSsess SSA's overall
work climate. We included this section because our research into
organizational culture indicates that an employee's "work climate" is
important to creating a positive workplace. Employees (and employers) gain a
number of benefits from a positive workplace. For example:
1. A sense of community. Employees get to know each other, feel like
they "belong," and help one another in times of need;
2. A shared vision. Employees see their workgroups as haVing direction
and purpose, and believe that their personal values are reflected in
the workplace. They may even feel inspired by their work; and,
"'. A positive outlook. Employees view difficult situations as challenges
and opportunities. They also find ways to have fun at work. And they
do not discount strengths by calling attention to weaknesses.
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__
ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page24of40
Threeofthelow-gapstatementswereamongthetenlowest ratedin
importance: S-9,S-48,and S-54.(S-5Odoesnotappearonanyofthe
"high/low"charts.)
Theseresultstell usthat,whateverthecurrentSituation,theworkplaceis
aboutwhereemployeesthinkitoughttobein thesetenareas-especially
with regardtotheirworkclimate.
Z. Non', oftheninevalues in theAgency Strategic..r.lanap'peared on thelist
Q.thighest rated currentp'ractices (Chart I,.Il.age.J..Q) and onlythree
39,and 40tmgdethe.iQptenhighest rated in il1){J.ortance
I3).
Chmt i: Vnhus
..
,.. nin<l
1$. 11>
-""-
""
__ald>i,u
A

a

4t. utcZi:WW
""1m:,
o
d'.1I'I{t, ad.
wluiItmilll wo,kbdl.a-,
"" \'4uI.J.i:Ndi.t{,
45.
..
ott T(IuhmhGil:1IrH.Lti:il'l.Mit..t: to
1ft
''itu! JIIIWlQ1llI.G1t,.
Thetwovalues ratedhighest in theworkplace currentlyar .. "to
dischargefaithfullyourroleasguardiansofthepublic trust"(5-45)
and"toactwithtnisthoughtin mind: tomillionsofpeople we ARE the
government" (S-46). Theaverageanswerswere3.66and 3.56,
respectively.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CUL1lJRE STUDY Page25 of40
o63%ofemployeesagreedorstronglyagreedwith5-45in the
currentsituationcolumn; and,
058%agreed we arecurrentlythegovernmenttomillions
l2
,
Tnevalues rated lowest in importance are"tovalue diversity" (5-44)
and "toactwiththisthoughtin mind: tomillionsofpeoplewe ARE the
g,)vernment" (5-46).
078%agreedvaluingdiversity is importantwhile 51%said
we valuediversitynow;
79".thinkbeingthegovernmenttomillions is important'-
sincethiswasalsooneofthehigherratedvaluesforthe
currentsitlJOtion(at 3.6)ondwas rated4.2 in importance,
thereisnotalargegap (0.6)betweenwhereweareand
whereemployeeswould likeustobe,
Beliefsand valuesformthebedrockofa company's cultural identityand can
influencewhat peopleactuallydo, Deal and Kennedysaythatsharedvalues
createa senseof identity.makingemployees feel specialand giving them
espritdecorpsl3. Thus,iftheninevaluesin theAgency StrategicPlan are
theonesthattheAgencywantstopromote, itis important toknow whether
employeessharethem. Granted.employeesgave theAgency StrategiesPlan
valuesfairly lacklusterratingsos totheirexistencein theircurrent
workplace.Still,itis encouragingthatthemajorityafemployees ratedall
ofthevaluesasimportanttothem. This rangedfrom a low of78%far
valuing diverSitytoahigh of98%foractingwithintegrity,
How would thesevaluescometobesharedatSSA?"Throughthe
reinforcementprovidedbyall theotherelementsafthe[Agency's]culture,
butprimarilyby theculture'slead players... .'<14
B. ThereareSamenotableditferencesin theresultsofthe
senior ascomRored toemRloyeesand mid-level

Forexample.theSeniorStaff'sresponsesweremarepositivethan
therestofSSAaboutalmosteveryitemon thesurvey,bothforthe
situationand theimportance answers.
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page26of40
Wearereportingtheseresultsin moredetail becausewe agreewith
theorganizationalcultureexpertswhosay, "When people in an
organization disagree about the culture they actually have, it often is
because the culture looks and feels different from the perspective of
different perts of the organization.., people at the tap of the
organization [often] misread the thoughts and feelings of those lower
in the hierarchyancLbelieve that people are happier about the state
of affairs than is really the case, nl!!
The..f.urrent situation:
'Chll1't8: l!m.ploy!MidMrm910btmtI Sftl.iorStnff
BJtgm lf1tat /if
..
..
,..

"
215.
31_ To6dir.4ynmdt.,.AJidMtIlN

".m.tfd\e11clfNirjtih.
n. fa-jet- .mullU'I'i

...ti.Ii1d....tq1ll1
npdGtulrut>t.
63. \VttdthW(!iMi:\iJ:ulSl!-..n.

1 " ...........' '"-- OMl!M"" ""-....1
o87'Y. of theSeniorStaffagreeorstronglyagreethatemployee
opinions now count(S-18); only 3TY, ofemployeeswould agree;
mid-level managerscamein at58'Y"
c69%ofthemembersoftheSeniorStaffthinkwork
responsibilitiesaresharedfairly currently (S-21);411,of
employeesagree; 54%ofmid-level managersagree,
o831.oftheSeniorStaffsaymanagersandemployees have
positiveand helpful relationships(5-23);461.ofemployeesthink
soand621,ofmid-level managersagree,
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page27of40
o85%oftheSeniorStaffsay itis normal practicein the
workplacetoencourageemployees'development (5-25);46%of
employeesagree; 62')', ofmid-level managersagree.
o65')',oftheSeniorStaffsaywe now effectivelyrecruitand
selectnewemployees(5-31); 33%ofemployeesand 37')',ofmid-
level managersthinkthisisthecasenow.
o70')',oftheSeniorStaffthinkjabopportunitiesareavailable
(5-32);only 38')',of employeesand 44')', ofmid-level managers
thinktheyare.
Whileemployeesand SeniorStaffdifferedontheeXtent towhich these
practicesexistin theirofficesnow, theyhad virtuallythesame responses
astotheimportance ofthefirstthree(statements18,21,and 23).lQSee
chartsattabEfortheseandotherareasofagreementbetweenemployees
and th..SeniorStaff.
What is imp-ortant:
CIt...... 9: !'mpl!!Y""!:Midl\i1!!nngelnl!l\tISfttiOI'St.ff
Bitp:g:rt fJI'IoJ Is Imlorl47!t
"
6"1. lIJl4wItmotiDchcrwhvc:tkefq''unit
:nl:ds'h1A.t,...a:m"att-tr1JlliU'Wt
lIlmuiib..
fill '"'11atfiie(adriWti.m.Il'4'\\IIIik
.
:t.Wt(d.dnbr:.in!Mlu.aln4tMm

a 91')', oftheSeniorStaffthink itis importanttoshare
commonvalues withcoworkers(5-54);72%ofemployees
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 28 01'40
agree followed closely by 74% of mid-level managers.
o 96'Y. of the Senior Staff agree it is important to be able to
explain SSA's mission (5-55); 80% of employees and 85% of mid-
level managers agree.
a 1001. of the Senior Staff agree or strongly agree that it is
important to them that they understand how the work of their
unit relates to the work of other units they work with (5-57);
901. of employees and 94% of mid-level managers say this is
important.
In discussing the results of the Senior Staff Survey, questions have been
raised about the perspective of the Senior Staff-that is, were they
thinking of their immediate office or SSA as a whole when responding?
Obviously, we cannot anSwer this question; what is important, regardless of
perspective, is that the Senior Staff is experiencing a different reality
from employees. (This applies to mid-level managers as well, although to a
somewhat lesser extent.)
Historically, 5 to 10 percent of survey respondents take the time to
comment in writing.E Thus, the percentage of written comments we
received is typical-574 or about 9% of the 6605 responses.
What is not typical is the lengt" of the written comments-generally t"ey
are IIshort and terse\! or !Ijust a few words,"IS Not ours. Many, if not most,
of th" comments we received were from one to thre" "andwritten or typed
poges long-and employees often identified t"emselves. We read the
comments and did a rough stroke tally by category to see what issues
appeared most often. Althoug" there were some positive comments, the
majority waS negative. This is to be expected-experience has shown that
employees will usually not write about what is going well, but will comment on
what they are dissatisfied about.
Based on our tally, the top ten most frequently cited issues or problems,
from number ten to number one, were'
10. The appraisal system-there were no positive comments about the
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page290f40
currentsystem: in fact,themostfrequent commentwas, "It'sajoke!"
9. Policy/procedures-employeessoytheychangetoooften,aretoo
complex.and employeesdon'tgetenough traini"9onthem.
8. Workloads-theperceptionistheyareincreasingand are
increasi"9lycomplex.
7. Workenvironment-commentsfocusedonthings like poorair
quality, unstabletemperatures.lackaffreeparki"9.and insufficient
orrun-downspace.
6. Theawards program-manyofthosewho commentedvoted togive
decisionmakingonawardsbacktomanagement. Somefeel theprocess
is now apopularitycontest.
5. Staffing-everyoneneedsmore. One managercommentedthatshe
hod not hiredanew employeein herofficesince1991.
4. Qualityand Servicetiedfor#4-nearlyall employeeswho
commentedfeltthereisformoreemphasisondoingtheworkquickly
thonondoi"9theworkright.Many commentedthottheloserhereis
thepublic.
3. Career/promotionopportunities-mostcommentscenteredaround
thereal lackofpromotional opportunitiesand thefactthatemployees
areoftenatthesamegradelevel foryears.
2. Morale-manycommentedthatit'stheworstthey'veseenitin
years.
1. And thenumberonemostfrequentlycitedproblembythosewho
commentedwasManagement-farandaway managersgotthemost
criticism.Thecommentsdescribedmanagerswho verballyabuse
employees,managerswhodisplayblatantfavoritism,managerswhoare
"goldbricks."andmanagerswho refusetoaddresspoorperformers.
Employees' respansesan thesurveymayshedsomelightonthislastfinding.
forexample;
o Asalready noted,only 37%ofrespondentsthinkitis normal
practicein theirofficecurrentlyforemployeeopinions tocount(5-
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 30 of 40
18);
o Only 51% of our employees are comfortable now telling their
supervisorlmanager what's on their minds (5-52);
a Nearly a quarter (24%) of the respondents do not think that their
supervisor supparts them in getting the job done (5-64); and,
063% say their manager treats employees with respect (5-53); 227.
said their manager does not; the others neither agree or disagree.
Some may dismiss written comments because they assume only the most
disgruntled employees take the time to write. However, we could not find
any re!>earch to support this assumption. In fact, the issues identified in
the survey comments are nearly identical to those we heard during our 1998
interviews and previous OWA studies. They are also borne out by the
survey results.
BENCHMARKING !!ocktoTable of Contents
A. Methodolog),
The Agency Strategic Plan also suggested that SSA conduct a benchmarking
study to find out how others measure, create, and support the cultures that
make them successful and satisfying organizations. To that end, we
identified 37 organizations (25 private and 12 public) that have investigated
their organizations' cultures. Eleven of the organizations we contacted
responded (the best known are Sears, the U.S. Mint, tke Deportment of the
Navy, Eaton. GSA, Monsanto. and Xerox).
Teams of OWA employees visited four that agreed to participate in site
visits (GSA. the Defense Lagistics Agency, Sears, and Monsanto) and held a
conference call with Xerox. All 11 participants completed a survey. A copy
of the survey questions is attached at tab f. We completed a detailed
report of the findings on 03/11/99. The full report is available from OWA;
a summary of the findings is below.
B. Findings
1. Six out of 11 benchmarking partners identified a business reason for
undertaking a culture change effort, such as loss of market share for
private sector companies.
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ORGANIZATIONAL CVLTVRE STUDY Page3! of40
2. All respondents performed some form of organizational assessment
before, during, or after implementing their culture change initiative
(the tools varied from the Baldrige self-assessment criteria to OPM's
Organization Assessment survey, to employee surveys. town-hall
meetings. and focus groups).
3. Eight of 11 benchmarking partners used at least one external
consultant in their culture change effort.
4. All benchmarking contacts indicated that upper management
supported the culture change efforts in their organization.
5. Seven of 11 benchmarking portners had data on the length of time
required to perform their initial assessment. Timeframes ranged from
10 weeks to 15 months.
6. Seven of 11 benchmarking portners had a target culture identified
as their goal. These included: achieving the Baldrige model; becoming
"0 compelling place to work, shop and invest"; creating a high
performance culture; and, cultivating a culture that values trust and
openness.
7. Six of the 11 had Significant employee involvement in determining
the new organizational culture.
8. Ten of the organizations promoted and supported their desired
cultures, using a variety of approaches such as: training; spinning off
non-core businesses; reducing policy and procedures; changing
management practices; delegating authority to the lowest possible
I"vels: and, adding more family friendly programs.
9. Seven of the 11 evaluated the success of their culture change
activities and said they would continue to do so on a regular basis.
Another interesting finding was that most Government agencies responding
to our survey said that they had made substantial efforts to change the
culture in their organizations. However, when we requested site visits to
discuss the details of their efforts, several did not respond. Among those
that did, we found little evidence of change initiatives.
We think the information from this study will be useful mainly during the
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page32of40
changestrategyphase:ofour project.While wedo nothave: all the
flexibilitiesourprivatesectorpartnershave,we shouldbeabletouseor
adaptsomeoftheirtechniquesforcreatingand supportingthekind of
culturewewantfor SSA. Inaddition,wefound thatourprojectapproach
comparedfavorablytotheapproachesofourbenchmarkingpartners.
WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE FROM THESE FINDINGS? BacktoTableOf

Contents
Dr. Allen,theconsultantwe workedwith lostyear,would concludethatany
gapbetweenwhat isand what is importantis unacceptableandneedstobe
addressed.
TheGallup Organizationwould saytheScoreson theimportanceofsome
itemsin theWorkClimate SectionofthesurveytelluS we haveproblems.
oIntheirbook First,BreakAll the BuckinghamandCoffman
(fromGallup)describefindings from 25yearsofresearch. During that
time,Gallup interviewedmorethana millionemployeesand ultimately
identifieda numberofrecurringthemes(orfactors)relativetotheir
work experiences.
aGallup's themesaresimilartothosewe identifiedfromthe
interviewswe conductedandemployees' commentsonthesurvey,such
asconcernSaboutworkenvironment,procedures.supervisors,
management.coworkers.teams,and customerservice.
20
.Accordingto
Gallup.whenyou meosurethestrengthoftheworkplacearoundthese
themes.youshouldnot restuntilemployeesselect"5" (stronglyagree)
onall itemsonyoursurvey.
aFurther,Gallupplacesresponsibilityforgettingthat"5"on

managementand immediate management,atthat-meaningtheperson
who definesand pervadesyour workenvironment.
aGallupalsosaysthatemployeesdonotleave companies, theyleave
managers. SSAemployees' commentsabout managementand the
differencesbetweentheSeniorStaff'sandemployees'perspectives
makethisa point worth conSidering. This is especially importantin
lightofourneedtohireand retainqualifiedpeoplein responsetothe
growing retirementwave,
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page33 of40
We believewe should focus on thoseissues thatwe cando somethingabout
quicklyandthatwill have themost payoff foremployeesand theAgency.
Forexample, itmay beahigherprioritytofocusonthe 8 ~ o who thinkwe
could workmoreefficientlyandproductivelyand the41% who feelthat
workresponsibilitiescould besharedmorefairly thanthe23%who do not
thinktheworkenvironmentisattractiveorprofessionalenough. Several
ofthedifferencesbetweenSeniorStaffresultsandtherestofSSA need
similarreview,aswell.
On theotherhand,areviewofinterviewremarks,employeecomments.and
survey resultsshowssomeveryhealthybeliefs,behaviors,practices,values,
and attitudesonthepartofSSAemployees. Theseareasneed continued
supportandencouragement.
WHAT' ARE THE RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS? BocktoTableof
Contents
A. DesiredCulture
Asstatedin thecurrentplanforQcnievingthecultureobjective,successful
completionofthegapanalysisreliesontheAgency'sdefiningitsvisionof
thedesiredculture.Thismightincludeconsiderationofthefollowing
questions;
o Whatare theAgency's values thatwe wanttopromoteand
incorporateintotneculture?None of theninevalues in theASP
appearedon thelistoftenhighestratedcurrent practices(Chart I,
page 10)and only tnreemadethetenhignest rated in importance list
(Chart3,page 13).

o Whataretneissues identifiedin thesurvey,comments,and
interviewsthatmost concernus?Whataboutthoseareaswheregaps
weresmall,shOWing thatemployeesthinkweareaboutwherewe ought
tobe?
o Whatissuesdo we want tofocusonatthenational level?
o WnatexactlydoestheAgencywant tochang"aboutthecurrent
culture? Whatisgoodaboutthecurrentculturethatweshould
encourageand reinforce?
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURJl STUDY Page 34 01'40
o What is leadership's reaction to the fact that the Senior Staff is
experiencing a different reality in the workplace from the one
employ.... s and even mid-level managers are experienci"!)? Is this
inevitable? Is this acceptable?
a Many studies, besides Gallup, indicate that the 5i"!)le greatest
influence on the work culture is the manager, Lee IacoccQ said it best:
"The speed of the boss is the speed of the team," How do we ensure
that these "bosses" take the initiative to bring about culture change?
a Experts soy the three most powerful tools to help shape culture
QIe:
1. recruitment and selection-hire employees who have an overall
fit with the culture we want,
2. orientation and traini"!)-that emphasize the core values of
the Agency,
3, rewards and recognition-to reinforce the desired behavior on
the part of managers and employees.
Can we commit to usi"!) these tools?
Wesllggest addressingih."' .. .. stions raised in this reRort by3irst
referring them to the group.J1.f executives already3amiliar with issues
related to goal four (To be an eml1loYerthat values and invests in each
enmloyee),
Once this group considers the questions above, we recommend convening an
Agency-level intercomponent workgroup, with Union and Management
Assoc'ation membership. Based on the direction provided by this group, the
Workgroup would further address issues identified during the various
stages of this project, The most important workgroup deliverable would be
a change strategy that will help SSA employees and managers achieve the
culture they wont,
Sidebar: There is no "one-size-fits-all" change strategy. This assessment of
SSA's current culture is only a beginning-one way it can be used is to get
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 35 of40
employees talking and sharing their insights about the culture-why we are
the way we are, what do we like about being this way, and what would we like
to change? As lang as we can agree on where it is we want to 90, we can
figure .,ut ways to get there. Or, as Harrison and Stakes described it,
"From that base of agreement about the desired ends. it often is possible
to resolve differences about the means."21
C. Analysis and Review
OW A will continue to analyze the survey results to make pertinent
demag,'aphic comparisons (e.g., men and women; bargaining and non-
bargaining: different age groups: varying lengths of service, and so on).
We also plan to share individual component's results with them to show them
how they compare to the rest of SSA. Where needed, we will assist
components with the analysis of their data. As components review their
results, it is likely that they will identify areaS of concern that need local
attention. In some areas, we believe that "customized" initiatives might be
appropriate and could offer more immediate solutions than improvements
mode at the national level.
Finally, in about three years. we will conduct the organizational culture
survey again and compare the results to the 1999 baseline to see if there
has been any measurable improvement as a result of the various change
initiatives.
AFTERWORD: IS IT POSSIBLE TO CATEGORIZE SSA'S CURRENT
CULTURE? Back to Table of Contents
A review of the high.est rated Rractices (Chart 1 . Rage 10) in our workRlace
nowJWows that ..S.SA.. emRloyees clearly sURRort two of the three themes
discussed earller-building.Py.blicconfidence in Social Security and
providing-l\lorld-class service. For example: we have 2ero tolerance for
program fraud and abuse: we know what is expected of uS at work; we
provide accurate information about SSA programs; we know SSA' s mission
and can explain it; and. we treat customer satisfaction as a top priority.
Support for these themes carries through . .!o what employees think is
important as well. Providing accurate information about our programs. zero
tolerance. and working in the most efficient and productive way possible are
the top three on the importance list (Chart 3. page 13).
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 36 0[40
Most concerns, however, around a
work enVi.ronment. Virtually all of the practices on the lowest rated list
(Chart 2, page 11) relate to this theme. Supportive work environment issues
also accounted for most of the items on the top ten gaps list (Chart 5. page
15). Yet mast employees we interviewed commented that it is the most
importunt of the three themes since it underpins all we do.
On the other hand, while we could argue that much of what is on the
highest importance list would enhance the work environment, only one item
,
stands out as particularly employee-centered and that is rewarding
individuals for good work. I.t_"PPe.grs,then, that employees say-a supportive
work environment is illlportant, but in reality rate other practices higher.
Note that survey respondents who said they were not members of the
management team outnumbered management team respondents by six to
one..
To help us better understand the findings from this study, we searched the
literature for documented cultures that, at least in general, typify SSA. We'
found that there are as many descriptions, or models, of culture types as
there .lre experts who write about them. However, most of these experts
agree that organizations have some combination of cultures, with one being
predominant.
In their book .Diagnosi!l9 Orggni70tional Culture, Harrison and Stokes
describe four basic organizational culture models. The one that comes
closest to describing SSA is the "Role Culture." "The Role culture
substitutes a system of structures and procedures for the naked power of
the leaders. Structures and systems give protection to subordinates and
stability to the. organizotion.,,22 Deal and Kennedy (authors of Corporate
Cultures) call these organizations "Process Cultures.,,23
The values of these cultures are order, dependability. rationality, and
consistency. Because performance is organized by structures and
procedures (rather than personally controlled by the leader), work can be
reliably directed at a distance, thereby putting order into work that needs
to be predictable. Thus, large. complex organizations, such as
bureaucracies, can be created and managed.
At its best, the Role-oriented (or Process) organization provides stability,
justice, and efficient performance and" ...they make sure the world works
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ORGANIZATIONALCULTURESTUDY Page37of40
forothers.',24 Undertherulesof theRole culture,employeesareprotected
from thearbitraryexerciseof As aresult,theyspend less
time lookin9,o,Y:tJor themselves,andmoretimedoing theirjobs,According
to Deal and Kennedy, peoplewho arevalued in thisculturearethosewho are
tryingtoprotectthesystem's integrity morethantheirown, And,what is
importantin thiscultureis technical perfection,thatis, gettingtheprocess
andthO! detailsright,
Materialfromtheorganizational culturestudyis stQrtlingin itsSimilarity
totheconceptsdescribedabove (and throYghoutthissection),
Fram the interviews-"the nature of SSA's workforce is to be
productive':' employees said they like the job security, pay, and benefits;
employees appreciate the family friendly policies; employees liked our old
(process oriented) mission stotement-getting the right check to the right
person at the right time,
From the survey-employees know what is expected of them at work they
understand how their work (role] relates to the work of other components;
and they believe we prOVide accurate information about the programs and
have .zero tolerance for program fraud and abuse-these were ratedas the
top two in importance as well.
From survey comments-many employees objected to what they
perceivedas too much emphasis on quantity aS opposed to 'lllolity-at
customer expense,
On theotherhand, "theweakness of Role,oriented organizationsis in the
very impersonalitythQt is theirstrength, Theyoperateontheassumption
thatpeoplearenottobetrusted,so theydo notgive individual autonomy or
discretiontomembersatlower levels, Employeesoftengetlittle or no
feedback. Thesystemis deSigned tocontrol peopleandtopreventthem
from committingselfishorstupidacts,Italso keepspeoplefrom being
innovativeand fromdoingtheright thingwhentheright thing is outsidethe
rules.
u
6.
From the interviews-"to get ahead, you have to keep your mouth
communication is poor in many offices.' some would advise new employees not
to try anything innovative; quontity is more important than quality.
From the surveys-employees say their opinions don't count; half ofour
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 38 of 40
employees don't care about having a best friend at work' more than one-
third of the respondents believe their managers do not treat employees
with respect.
From survey comments-"management from top to bottom treats US like
children"; .. employees are not made to feel that they are trusted and
valued;"
Harrison's and Stoke's most telling comment about Role cultures is " ...they
tend to squeeze the spirit out of working life....,,27
From the interviews-"morale is lower than it's ever many
employees said they can't wait to "get out" (retire): the work environment in
a number of offices was characterized as hostile and untrusting-"pure
poison" said an interviewer about one office: interviewers talked to a
number of distraught employees who cried during the interviews.
From the surveys-there is little opportunity for advancement: close to
half of our respondents say they are nat treated with regard and respect
more than a third do not celebrate individual and team achievements.
From survey .. the work environment in my office can best be
describedas hostile':' many employees described stressful work situations
where burnout was common and coworkers were openly looking for other
jobs: others said their voices were neVer heard.
It is clear that SSA's organizational culture embodies many features of the
Role-oriented (or Process) culture-the extent to which a particular feature
exists appears to depend on the component and its managers.
footnotes
ITerrence E, Deal and Allan A, Kennedy. Corporate Culture (Reading. Massachusetts:
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,lnc.,1982),119, (Back 10 ReJ!Qrt)
:2 Or, Allen later conducted three additional seminars designed to assist the
imcrcompunent team with other phases of the project (such as the design of interview
guides and identification of survey topics). (Back to Report)
3 OSM, OGC, OCOMM, OP, Operalions, ODISP, Syslems, CSI and Office of Personnel
(OHR). (Back to ReJ!Qrt)
4 NY, PH, ATL, CHI, SEA, and SF. (Back 10 Rep,'!!iJ
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ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE STUDY Page 39 of40
j Summaries ofali 200 interviews are available from OWA; identifying information has
been removed. (Back to
6 Since the Agency Strategic Plan objective calls for promoting an agency culture iliat
successfully incorporates our values, we included the 9 values from the on the
survey to see whether they are values that employees embrace now and thmk arel
important. (Back to Report)
7 In some cases, ranking of average answers and percentages do not match because of
weighting. to Report)
8 Note that we highlighted the Agency Strategic Plan values in gold whenever they
appear on any of the charts. (Back to Rcl!i1!:ll
9 In some cases, ranking of average answers and percentages do not match because of
weighting. to Remrt)
10 As expected, respondents frequently selected "agree" or "strongly agree" for the
importance of a workplace practice; thus, the items of least importance still had
relatively high percentages of employees rating them as important. (Back to ReQort)
11 [n some cases, ranking of average answers and percentages do not match because of
weighting. (Back to Remrt) ,
t2 In some cases, ranking of average answers and percentages do not match because of
weighting. (Back to Report)
13 Deal and Kennedy, Coruorare Cultures, 23, (Back to Remrt)
14 Ibid" 36. (Back to Remrt)
15 Roger Harrison and Herh Strokes. Diagnosing Organizational Cu1mrc (San Francisco:
Pfeiffer/Jossey-Bass Inc., 1992), 15. (Back to Report)
16 Both employees and senior staff rated these three statements at 4.5 in importance.
Mid-level managers were close (or agrced) as follows: S-I8(4.4); S21 (4.3); and S23
(45). (Back to Rep'ort)
!7 Earl Naumann and Kathleen Giel, Customer Satisfaction Measurement and
Management (Cincinnati: Thomson Executive Press, 1995), 145. (Back to Report)
"Ibid. (Back to
19 Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Fjrst,J;3:reak all the Rules, (New York: Sjmon
and Schuster), chaps. I and 2, passim. to Remrl) :
20 Ibid" 253, (Back to Remrt)
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O R ~ I Z TIONALCULTURESTUDY
21 Harrison,Diall!]osingOrganizationalCulture,24, (Back10 Repl'Lll
22 Ibid" 15,(BacktoReport)
23 Deal""dKennedy,CorporateCultures, 119, (Back to Report)
24lbid,,123,(BacktoReport)

25 The Federal bureaucracystartedbreakingthisrule inthe180sand'90swith

dO\l,'l1sizing,earlyouts,and outsourcing; nowthereisnot muchofa"deal" between
employeesandthe organization. (Backto Rep'ort)
26
1
bid, (Backto ReRort)
27 Ibid,,24, (BacktoReport)
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